| WHY NOT "CUTE"?
"Cute" is what younger people call an old woman
when she does or says something
that surprises them because it is just what a normal person
would do or say.
Example:
if she engages in, or even refers to sexual activity.
WHY NOT "FEISTY"?
"Feisty" is an automatic putdown — its origin
is "excitable, like a mongrel dog" — that
is frequently used in newspapers to describe an old woman
who is in any way
outspoken, determined, or who engages in political protest.
Example:
"Mary Jones, a feisty 86-year-old, had a different opinion."
WHY NOT "SWEET"?
When an old woman is not "feisty," she is rewarded
by being told she is "sweet."
WHY NOT "SPRY"?
As you see more of us in gyms, this word is used less often
since it expresses surprise that a woman in her 60s or 80s
should be even a little active.
WHY NOT "LITTLE"? WHY NOT
"LADY"?
Some of us are short and some of us are tall. We are still
women, not "little old ladies."
WE ARE NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER
"You remind me of my grandmother." Why don't we
ever remind younger people of their sister, cousin, best friend
back in Boston? We are not defined by our ages, but by our
interests and our personalities.
ALL OF THESE WORDS ARE SUPPOSED TO
BE COMPLIMENTS. ALL OF THESE WORDS ARE SEGREGATING, PATRONIZING,
INSULTING.
RULE OF THUMB: If there's something you
wouldn't say to a 35-year-old woman,
don't say it about a 75-year-old woman. |